ESPN Apologized To The Patriots For Issuing A False Report

The Patriots are on a spirited campaign to rehabilitate their image. Bill Belichick’s perceived culture of cheating fed into the trial by public opinion on Deflategate even without all credible evidence laid out. Between Spygate and the litany of minor infractions the Patriots have made during the Belichick regime, they do not deserve the benefit of the doubt. However, that doesn’t mean media outlets can disseminate reports on inaccurate information. ESPN reported in 2008 that the Patriots had taped the St. Louis Rams walk-through practice before Super Bowl XXXVI:

According to the report, an unnamed source close to the team during the 2001 season said that following the Patriots’ walk-through at the Louisiana Superdome, a member of the team’s video staff stayed behind and taped the Rams’ walk-through — a non-contact, no-pads practice at reduced speed in which a team goes through its plays.

This report was used previously in a larger piece on Deflategate, but the 2008 report was proven to be false. The Patriots Twitter account made sure to let the world know that ESPN had apologized.